New statutory pay rates published

The Government has announced the statutory rates for maternity pay, paternity pay, shared parental pay, adoption pay and sick pay from 2 April 2017.

The figures were published on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) website on Monday.

The current weekly rate of statutory maternity pay is £139.58, or 90 per cent of the employee’s average weekly earnings if this figure is less than the statutory rate.

This will rise to £140.98, or 90 per cent of weekly earnings if less than this figure, from April next year.

Likewise, paternity pay and statutory shared parental pay will increase from £139.58 to £140.98 (or 90 per cent of the employee’s average weekly earnings if this figure is less than the statutory rate).

The rate of statutory adoption pay also increases from £139.58 to £140.98 and the rate of statutory sick pay will rise from £88.45 to £89.35.

Statutory pay follows the consumer price index (CPI), which increased by one per cent in the year to September 2016.